Well, It is the month of August and as is true for any Indian 15th August is engrained in my mind too as India's Independence day…. !!
I have never been much of a believer in ceremonies and functions and each year the Independence and the Republic days are spent just as any other day. Mind you, It is not because I don’t value them, It is just that I don’t see any point in valuing them only for a day. Well, staying on the campus of one of the premier research institutes in the country, one does have the special functions, meetings and speeches on such occasions of national importance. I, however, choose not to attend them. Coincidentally, however, in the same month as when the World's largest democracy gained its independence, I happened to come across a poem by its pioneering thinkers, Rabindranath Tagore.
Where the mind is wihout fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms
Towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening
Thought and action -
Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
As I read this poem on one hand and the newspaper on the other, I was enveloped by a helpless feeling. Something written nearly a century ago was yet to materialize !!!
How is it that the nation of Aryabhatta and Sushruta, Ramanujam and Raman, Tagore and Teresa, and Of Gandhi and Nehru is reduced to a land with daily reports of homicide, rape, communal violence and bomb blasts. Why is that Tagore 's prayer, written nearly a century ago still embodies the prayer of most indians….. Why are we happy to be attending the flag hoisting ceremonies and the speeches and not look at the plight of the country. The situation in Kashmir, West Bengal, Calcutta and Rajasthan …. Why is it that we conveniently gloss over these realities and look at the Shining India. Why are the newspapers projecting an India different from what it is …. ???? Why ? Why and Why ???? Too many questions and the answers probably lie with us… the people of this country. Why is it that we don’t value life the way the Americans do ?? Why is it that we are used to blasts everyday…. A bomb blast only translates into an additional figure for people to remember - how many blasts and how many killed ??? Is that how much we value human life now ??? How do we manage to take life and death so very lightly ??? Must be because of our cultural tenets which say that all life is temporary …. We are all born to die and so we shall !!!! Is this what makes the Indians immune to their own misery??
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
An ode to the nameless...
An ode to the nameless….
Well, IISc has been my home away from home for the last three years and in this period I have seen various shades of life. I would definitely not consider myself a people friendly person; however, as I just reflected upon my stay in IISc and the people around me, a myriad of faces emerged. Strangely I didn’t have a name for many of them. These faces are an integral part of my life and they make life so much better for me BUT I didn’t have their names. Then I realized that I didn’t really need a name for them. I love the way these bonds developed - slowly, over time, ignorant of the specific details that the world is concerned about, without any need for social norms and/or personal needs. These were bonds forged with no motives whatsoever. They were how most relationships should be…based on liking and nothing else, with no impositions on them. As soon as I realized this, I felt compelled to share these wonderfully nameless people with you. These are the people who make my day, who make the world seem a brighter place to me, who restore my faith in humanity after I ve read the daily newspaper. Be it the "watchman uncles" at Rohini and Krithika, who playfully wish me every time they see me, enquire religiously about my lunch, breakfast or dinner. Or be it the "guy at tea board" who strangely seems to be able to read me inside out. He knows when I am dull or worked up and lightens up the mood with his incessant banter. How can I not miss the uncle at the Niligiris Shop who always makes it a point to wish me with a wonderful smile when he catches me amidst his early morning travails of delivering milk to the houses. On occasions when he is relatively free, he talks as if I am his long lost grand-daughter asking me about my wedding plans. He has made sure that I invite him to it whenever that might be…. !! The folks at Kabini whom I have bugged so much for the 'Gobi Manchurian', that my visit to Kabini now makes us both laugh. The Guard at the Library whom I often meet as I come to the department in the morning, cycling towards his office, he too unfailingly enquires about my well being each time he sees me. The numerous attenders and office staff in my department who give such a wonderful smile each time they see me that it actually makes the world seem a better place. The nameless kid whom I met while roaming with my camera who chatted with me (in spite of my broken Kannada) for ten minutes and wanted me to take a picture of his. The sisters who wanted a photo of theirs to be shot when they saw me with a camera. ( I always wonder how to give their photo to them, they after all wanted it a lot). The attenders in the mess who make sure that no one leaves the mess hungry, even if they come half an hour after the mess closing time. They give you food from the kitchen with a wonderful smile. The staff at Faculty club who always have a smile when I order my usual double coffee. The uncle at coffee board who used to give my sugarless cup of coffee with such a broad smile, without my reminding him. The list is a pretty long one but the common feature is the namelessness. I don’t know anything about these people but I still care for them. I miss my watchman uncles when I don’t see them for a couple of days. I miss the folks at coffee board. I hated it when they had to leave and they were terribly sad too, telling me their problem about the price hike issue. These people don’t know anything about me … but they still remember me among the many they see everyday. I do wonder how it all started but I can’t seem to remember. I think people tend to remember the best or the worst in life. My face is definitely not among the best and hopefully not among the worst either but nonetheless, all these people from different walks of life remember me and I honestly am glad they do. Language is probably the thread that binds us together but its definitely not the only one. I am thankful for these nameless people who have made my days so much better and as I key in these words I have a hope that maybe I shall be able to do the same for several others someday. If only everyone thought this way, the world could be a much better place and life in research would not seem such a bad thing after all… !!! ;-)
Well, IISc has been my home away from home for the last three years and in this period I have seen various shades of life. I would definitely not consider myself a people friendly person; however, as I just reflected upon my stay in IISc and the people around me, a myriad of faces emerged. Strangely I didn’t have a name for many of them. These faces are an integral part of my life and they make life so much better for me BUT I didn’t have their names. Then I realized that I didn’t really need a name for them. I love the way these bonds developed - slowly, over time, ignorant of the specific details that the world is concerned about, without any need for social norms and/or personal needs. These were bonds forged with no motives whatsoever. They were how most relationships should be…based on liking and nothing else, with no impositions on them. As soon as I realized this, I felt compelled to share these wonderfully nameless people with you. These are the people who make my day, who make the world seem a brighter place to me, who restore my faith in humanity after I ve read the daily newspaper. Be it the "watchman uncles" at Rohini and Krithika, who playfully wish me every time they see me, enquire religiously about my lunch, breakfast or dinner. Or be it the "guy at tea board" who strangely seems to be able to read me inside out. He knows when I am dull or worked up and lightens up the mood with his incessant banter. How can I not miss the uncle at the Niligiris Shop who always makes it a point to wish me with a wonderful smile when he catches me amidst his early morning travails of delivering milk to the houses. On occasions when he is relatively free, he talks as if I am his long lost grand-daughter asking me about my wedding plans. He has made sure that I invite him to it whenever that might be…. !! The folks at Kabini whom I have bugged so much for the 'Gobi Manchurian', that my visit to Kabini now makes us both laugh. The Guard at the Library whom I often meet as I come to the department in the morning, cycling towards his office, he too unfailingly enquires about my well being each time he sees me. The numerous attenders and office staff in my department who give such a wonderful smile each time they see me that it actually makes the world seem a better place. The nameless kid whom I met while roaming with my camera who chatted with me (in spite of my broken Kannada) for ten minutes and wanted me to take a picture of his. The sisters who wanted a photo of theirs to be shot when they saw me with a camera. ( I always wonder how to give their photo to them, they after all wanted it a lot). The attenders in the mess who make sure that no one leaves the mess hungry, even if they come half an hour after the mess closing time. They give you food from the kitchen with a wonderful smile. The staff at Faculty club who always have a smile when I order my usual double coffee. The uncle at coffee board who used to give my sugarless cup of coffee with such a broad smile, without my reminding him. The list is a pretty long one but the common feature is the namelessness. I don’t know anything about these people but I still care for them. I miss my watchman uncles when I don’t see them for a couple of days. I miss the folks at coffee board. I hated it when they had to leave and they were terribly sad too, telling me their problem about the price hike issue. These people don’t know anything about me … but they still remember me among the many they see everyday. I do wonder how it all started but I can’t seem to remember. I think people tend to remember the best or the worst in life. My face is definitely not among the best and hopefully not among the worst either but nonetheless, all these people from different walks of life remember me and I honestly am glad they do. Language is probably the thread that binds us together but its definitely not the only one. I am thankful for these nameless people who have made my days so much better and as I key in these words I have a hope that maybe I shall be able to do the same for several others someday. If only everyone thought this way, the world could be a much better place and life in research would not seem such a bad thing after all… !!! ;-)
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Well, reading has always been a favorite all-consuming activity and it has always resulted in several thoughts emerging in my mind …. Questions I would ponder about, thoughts that would flit my mind, answers that would suddenly appear, unknown to all but me…. As time passed, a desire to start penning my thoughts took root and now in spite of not being proud of my writing skills, I have finally taken the plunge… decided to put my fingers onto the keyboard and let my mind take over. Someone, once told me I should write to give back to the society what I had gained…. But being the egotist that I am, that did not cut much ice with me. I did however start writing but solely for my own sake. It is nice to be able to pen down (key down is probably the right word these days!!) one's thoughts and look them over from time to time. I am also feeling that trying to put down our thoughts actually helps us understand ourselves better…. So, In that hope, I begin my journey on the Blogosphere ….
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)